Matters of Blood and Connection
by TutorGurl
Summary: It's been a month since Sam left, and Brooke is dreading Mother's Day. Brooke, Sam and a bit of Haley.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** _Um, hey? For anyone that is reading this because of an author alert or something, just to let you know, I'm never ever gonna finish any of my other stories. After you read this, you'll know why – I can't write anymore. Both because I feel like I'm not very good, and also because I just can never sit down and write anything. I used to be able to get a chapter a day done [good or bad], but now, it's impossible. But alas, I had to write this, because I just did. It's rushed and this first part is short, but it needed to at least be up today, for obvious reasons. I don't know when I'll get the next parts up, but I promise to try to get them up at some point in time. _

_Title is from a Dashboard Confessional song. It's late, the title fits perfectly, my others suck anyway. Deal with it. __**Enjoy!**_

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Brooke groaned and pulled a pillow over her face when she heard her alarm clock buzz. It was a Sunday, and for a moment she couldn't figure out why she had even set her alarm in the first place. Then she remembered what today was – Mother's Day.

Any other year, this day meant absolutely nothing to her. Sure, she might curse Bitchtoria a little bit more than normal, but she didn't usually get too upset over it. She'd accepted long ago that she'd never have the mother she wished for, there was no use getting angsty over it all the time.

But this year was different. This year she felt like a mom. This year, she had become a mother, and she had stopped being a mother just as quickly. There wasn't a minute that went by that she didn't think of Samantha since she had left, but she knew that it would be even worse today. The teen had left almost a month ago, but she was still heartbroken over it, and this day would only break it further.

Brooke reluctantly rolled out of bed, and pulled on her robe. She slipped into her slippers and sluggishly made her way to her bedroom door, turning the stereo on as she walked by it. Ever since Sam left, the house was way too quiet, and she liked to blast music to in a pointless attempt to comfort herself.

Remembering the time, she realized that she could only afford a quick shower if she wanted to make it to the Scott house on time. She didn't even know why she agreed to go over to Nathan and Haley's house for a Mother's Day breakfast, knowing Haley only invited her out of pity. Haley knew more than anyone how much losing Sam had hurt her, both because she was a mother herself and because she had been closest to the situation, and the last thing she wanted was for her friend to be alone today, so she had made sure to invite Brooke over the previous weekend.

Still, the thought had been nice, and Brooke really didn't want to be alone, so she was going and she would try to have fun. Peyton and Lucas were visiting Karen for the week, and Millicent was still in New York, so she was spending the day with the Scott family, and she already knew that Haley would make sure Jamie celebrated his godmother as much as he did his mother. Haley was incredibly thoughtful like that. She made a mental note to celebrate Teacher Mom herself, since she was always looking out for her.

She signed and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wake her up. She let her mind wander as she went through the motions of cleansing herself, and before she knew it, she was finished, and wrapping herself in a towel. She wiped the steam off the mirror with her hand [something Haley had always scolded her for when they lived together], and stared at her reflection. After a moment, she tried to smile, practicing for the day. She figured she could probably fool Nathan and Jamie with it, but she definitely wouldn't get it passed Haley. She knew she'd end up talking about it at some point in the next 24 hours, but she'd deal with it when the time came.

Shaking her head, Brooke turned away from the mirror, and pulled the bathroom door open to walk into the hall. It wasn't until she spotted that the kitchen table was set up, that she noticed the music she had turned on before her shower was no longer playing. She glanced into her room to see that nothing else was different than when she left it, before she slowly and carefully walked towards the kitchen.

She didn't know what she was expecting to find when she got there, but Sam sitting on one of the bar stools at the counter was not one of them. The younger brunette smiled softly, sliding off her seat and moving towards her.

Brooke watched her movements in awe, not believing her eyes. "Sam?" She crocked out, not being able to find her voice. Of course she had dreamt of this moment, Sam coming home, almost every night since she had left, and she was afraid that this was just too good to be true.

"Happy Mother's Day," she spoke softly, not sure if Brooke's speechless reaction was a good or a bad thing. She knew she'd surprise Brooke by being there, but she wasn't sure if Brooke would be happy or pissed to see her. She had been loving and supportive when she left, but that could have changed. "I'd hug you, but you're in a towel, and you're wet, and that would be kinda …"

Brooke didn't let her finish before she threw herself at the smaller girl, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her tighter than she ever had before; including after she had rescued her from X. Sam felt awkward enough in her purple dress, and Brooke's towel wasn't helping, but the minute she heard Brooke let out a sob, she didn't hesitate to wrap her own arms around her foster mother's waist.

This was definitely real, Brooke thought, as she pulled the girl closer to her, and buried her face in her hair. She knew it was real, yet she was still terrified that the moment she let go, she'd lose her daughter all over again, and she couldn't take that, not today.

By the time they pulled apart, a minute later, Sam was teary eyed too. Brooke laughed at her, and gently wiped the tears away with the pad of her thumb. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"

"Where else would I be on Mother's Day?" As much as her answer touched Brooke, she knew she needed to hear more. Suddenly feeling a bit shy, she looked down at her shoes [still her regular Converses, despite the girly dress she was wearing], nervous and somewhat ashamed of what she was going to say next.

Seeing that Sam was having trouble, Brooke hooked her finger under her chin and gently guided her gaze back up to met her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" The teen nodded and took a shaky breath.

"I want to move back in here," she told her quietly, wishing she hadn't been put on the spot like that, so soon. She had planned on working up to it, but nothing in her life ever went as planned, so she just went with the flow. "I want to come home."

Brooke felt her eyes start to well up all over again, and she had to fight the urge not to pull Sam back into her arms again. Her face scrunched up in an attempt to stop the tears from falling, but it was no use. Instead of hugging her again, Brooke opted to cup the younger girl's cheeks, and bent down a bit so that they were at eye level. She needed Sam to hear this, and trust her words completely. "You already know the answer to that. I told you before you left that you would always have a home here, no matter what, and I meant it."

"So I can come back?"

"Of course, honey. Nothing would make me happier." It was as simply as that. She didn't need to beg, or make any promises or apologize for anything. Brooke didn't _need_ to know why she wanted to come back, but she did _want_ to know why. She squeezed Sam's cheeks affectionately, and kissed her forehead. "You don't have to tell me why, but I would like to know."

"Get changed and I'll finish making breakfast, and I'll tell you," Sam answered, shooing her foster mother away. She figured that Brooke probably assumed that something had gone terribly wrong with her birth mother, and that she was more running away from her, than she was coming back to Brooke, but that wasn't true at all.

Honestly, there had been nothing wrong with Rebecca Dennis. She liked Rebecca, and she felt a connection with her, but it wasn't anything like what she felt with Brooke. She never felt as comfortable in Rebecca's house as she did here, and her room didn't feel like her room at all. There weren't pictures of her around the house like Brooke had, and when she brought home an essay she did well on, Rebecca would congratulate her, but she didn't tell her she was proud of her and put it on the fridge like Brooke did. They talked a lot, sometimes about important things, but Sam would never talk back to her, she was afraid to. She never hesitated to be a brat with Brooke, because she trusted her, and she knew that no matter what she said, Brooke would still love her. Rebecca's house may have had a white picket fence, but it didn't make it more than it was; a house. Here, Brooke's, was home.

Rebecca Dennis was a pretty decent mother, a total score by foster home standards. Had she contacted Sam during her last foster placement, and asked her to move in, things probably would have worked out between them. But she had been too late.

Sam had been waiting fifteen years for her _birth_ mother to find her, but her _real_ mother had found her first.

**I'll try to make the next part[s] better! Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** I don't have time to say anything, so I'll just thank you all for the great reviews for the first chapter, and hope you enjoy this one. I rushed it, but whatever. Hopefully there are no typos, but there probably is, and I'll fix them tomorrow!

Also: Haley was never fired in this.

* * *

_Haley could tell that Brooke was thinking about Sam. They hadn't even been talking about anything that had anything to do with the girl [Haley always tried not to], but it was obvious that Brooke still couldn't keep her mind off her. It had been three weeks, and Haley didn't think she'd ever be able to look at Brooke and know she wasn't thinking her of foster daughter._

_Part of her felt guilty, that her friend's current heartache was her fault. If she had never suggested fostering Sam, Brooke wouldn't have lost her, and she wouldn't be so sad right now. That part of her was a lot smaller than the part that knew she'd done the right thing, though. It might not have worked out, at least not for now, but she knew that the time Brooke and Sam spent together was for the best, for both of them._

_Still, though. Haley couldn't help but feel guilty. Her friend was hurting, and she couldn't just sit there and do nothing. If she couldn't fix the situation for her, she'd just have to settle for cheering her up. Deciding on her best plan of action, she took a deep breath._

_She cringed before she even spoke the words, knowing they'd only make the wound worse before she could make it better. "What do you have planned for next weekend?"_

_"I have some shopping do to on Saturday," Brooke answered wearily, having a feeling she knew what Haley was getting at. She averted her gaze and looked down at the mug in her hand, swirling the hot liquid around a bit. "I'm not sure about Sunday." Any other year, she didn't give Mother's Day a second thought, and didn't usually even know when it was, but this year, she was all too aware of it._

_"Oh, because I was thinking that you should come over and spend it with us."_

_"Haley …"_

_"Please, Brooke?" Haley wasn't above begging. "Let me do this. It will totally ruin my day if I know you're here alone, missing Sam. At least miss her with me, at my house."_

_"You're sweet, but I don't want to intrude on your time with your family." Brooke really did think Haley's offer was sweet, and knew that the other brunette probably didn't think twice at offering the invite._

_"Brooke," Haley spoke, and it was all Brooke needed to hear to know that she wasn't going to win this argument. "First of all, you know you're part of my family. You're Aunt Brooke, remember?" Try as she might, Brooke couldn't keep the smile off her face after hearing that. If she wasn't already planning on agreeing, that definitely would have sealed the deal. Haley was _good_._

_"And second?"_

_"After spending breakfast with Jamie, Nathan's present to me is taking him out, and giving me the house to myself for the rest of the day, so you wouldn't be intruding at all." It was all true, but even if it weren't, it would have been their tradition starting that year. She wasn't lying when she said she wouldn't be able to enjoy her day if she knew Brooke was here all alone._

_"I'm not going to win this, am I?"_

_"Didn't you learn anything living with me senior year?" Haley laughed, leaning back in her chair and taking an early victory sip of her coffee._

_Brooke laughed right back at her. "If I remember correctly, Teacher Girl, I was the one doing all the convincing. I could talk you into anything." Seeing that Haley was about to protest, Brooke immediately continued. "Cheerleading?"_

_"Fine," Haley relented, nodding her head and admitted defeat. "So I learned a few things living with you senior year. Either way, you're coming over. Got it?"_

_"Okay, okay, you win!" With that decided, and the subject of senior year already brought up, the two spent the next hour reminiscing about their time living together; all the nights they never bothered going to sleep, the dance parties they had in their pajamas, the fights they'd get into over the chores [which Haley always ended up doing] and even the one time they got kicked out of the grocery store for starting a food fight in fruit section. "But we had fun, right? I was fun to live with?"_

_Haley was confused for a moment, but then realized exactly what Brooke was really asking her. She smiled softly and reached over, covering her friend's hand with her own and squeezing it. "I couldn't have asked for a better roommate, and Sam couldn't have asked for a better mom."_

_"How is she?" Brooke whispered, finally asking what she'd been dying to ask Haley for weeks now, but had been too afraid to._

_"I honestly don't know," was all the answer Haley could give her. "She comes to class and does the work. She used to hang around a bit after or even give me a hard time during my lesson, but she just sits there now." Brooke listened sadly, knowing that Sam had changed her relationship with Haley because of her. "Her work is still good, but not as good as it used to be. Like she's not inspired anymore."_

_Brooke just nodded, not wanting to ask anything else. She shared a sad smile with Haley before changing the subject again, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. However, her friend was doing the exact opposite. Haley was sick of watching both girls she cared about hurting, knowing that there was a simple way to make them both feel better._

_She just had to figure out what it was, and fast._

* * *

_"Everyone settle down, the bell doesn't ring for another five minutes," Haley shouted, trying to be heard over the noisy teenagers. They had all just handed in their test papers on Catch 22, and were ready to leave for the rest of the day, but Haley wasn't finished with them yet. "I need to tell you what this week's assignment is on."_

_"Can't you just tell us tomorrow?"_

_"I could, but then you'd only have one night to work on it, since it's due on Wednesday," she reminded them, smirking when they all groaned and quieted down. She folded her hands together and moved to the front of her desk, leaning back to sit on the edge. "Since I spent most of my weekend preparing the test, I didn't have the energy to think of a topic that was up to the standards of my usual fascinating ones. Then I remembered that Mother's Day is coming up, and decided it would be the perfect topic."_

_She risked a look to the back right corner of the class, and just as she expected, Sam's face was far from a happy one. She quickly looked away before she made eye contact, and went back to addressing her class, who were currently voicing their displease at where she was going with this._

_"Oh, come on, guys," Haley laughed, expecting the response she received. "This one doesn't involve any research, and I'll have them back to you by Friday, so you can give them to your moms. You don't have to worry about getting her a present!"_

_As students fired questions at their teacher, Sam slumped back in her chair and fought the urge to say something about the assignment. A month ago, she would have spoken up along with the rest of her peers, but ever since she moved out of Brooke's house, she had tried to avoid talking to Haley as much as possible._

_It wasn't that she thought Haley would be mean or rude to her, not at all. She just thought it might be awkward now, and not even because she thought Haley might bring Brooke up. She imagined Haley would know better than to do that. The thing was, Haley made her think about Brooke, and thinking about Brooke made her feel a lot of things, but in this particular case, she felt guilt and regret._

_She missed being able to talk to Haley about things. While she had never really felt uncomfortable talking to Brooke about anything, there were just some things that she figured Haley would be better at answering. Every teen needed an adult that wasn't their mother to talk to, and until recently, that person for her had been Haley. But now, she couldn't even bring herself to talk to Haley about schoolwork, let alone anything else._

_She never would have thought that old saying about not knowing what you've got till it's gone would apply to her, but she couldn't think of anything more fitting. After getting what she thought she always wanted, she realized she already had everything she could have asked for in Brooke, Haley, and her life being a Davis._

_"So, I want a full page, double spaced, size twelve font, on my desk at the beginning of class on Wednesday," Haley instructed. It was the same thing every week, and one would think they would all know it by now, but some of the assignments she got told her otherwise. "You're all big kids now, so I'm not reminding you tomorrow." Before she could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. All of her students immediately stood up and started filing out._

_"Later, Mrs. JS," a few random kids thrww out as they passws by her. She smileed at them, but noticed Sam quickly gathering her things._

_"Samantha, can I talk to you for a second?" she requested, knowing she'll be rebuffed. The girl who used to be a pretty vocal part of her class had all but become completely mute during lessons, only answering when forced to. Haley knew it was because of Brooke, and she understood why Sam would probably feel awkward around her now, but it didn't stop her from trying. She wished more than anything that Sam would talk to her, so she'd have something to tell Brooke the next time friend asked about the teen._

_"Sorry, Haley," Sam threw out, cursing herself for referring to Haley by first name. It had been something she had a hard time getting used to at first, but now found that it was a hard habit to break. Her classmates that were still in the room gave her a weird look, but didn't say anything when they received a glare from her. "I have to get to gym."_

_The older brunette didn't get a chance to try again, since before she knew it, her classroom was empty. She sighed and walked around her desk to sit down. She didn't have a class that period, and would have normally started to mark the tests already, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. All she could think about was her conversation with Brooke the day before, and the look on Sam's face when she gave out the assignment._

_God, she hoped her plan worked, and she wasn't just making matters worse. Though, really, she couldn't think of how much worse it could possibly get._

* * *

_Sam let out a frustrated breath and contemplated just tossing her notebook aside and not doing the assignment all together. While it wasn't like not doing her homework would be a first for her or anything, not doing her homework for Haley would be. She always did all of her work in that class, and always did her best. Part of it was simply because she loved writing, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't also because she really liked Haley, and she knew Brooke would kill her if she ever disrespected her friend like that._

_She had been in this same position the night before, sitting on her bed, pen and notebook in her lap, and nothing had happened then either. She sat there for an hour trying to write something about Rebecca, but she eventually just gave up, leaving it for the next night._

_Giving it a day didn't seem to help. If anything, she found herself even more stumped. She thought about writing about her feelings on Rebecca giving her up, and her life in foster care, but that wasn't what Haley had asked for. She knew she was supposed to be writing about how awesome her mother is, how much fun they had together, how strong their bond was, and how much she has done for her. It was supposed to be an easy assignment._

_And yet her page remained blank._

_"Samantha?" Rebecca called through the wooden door, knocking on it lightly. She didn't wait for a response before pushing it open and sticking her head inside. Sam composed herself and glanced up at the woman, letting her know she was listening. "I know we were maybe going to be watching a movie tonight, but Angela called and asked if I wanted to go out with the girls and …"_

_"It's fine," Sam cut her off and made a dismissive motion with her hand. "I have a lot of homework to do, anyways."_

_"Okay, she'll be here in a few," Rebecca informed her, taking Sam's words at face value, like she always did. "I'll call before I leave." Sam simply nodded and just like that, she was alone again. She sighed and looked back down at the blank sheet of paper._

_She probably should be upset that her mother just blew off their plans to go out with her friends, but she really wasn't. She didn't really feel much of anything when it came to Rebecca and their relationship, and she didn't think that was a good thing. She should feel happy when she's spending time with her birth mother, and she should feel upset when she gets ditched._

_"Samantha, I'm leaving now!" she heard from the other side of the door. "Don't wait up!" As soon as she heard the front door close, she leaned over and flipped on her stereo, letting the music fill the silence of the house._

_It was always 'Samantha' with her. Brooke was always calling her honey or sweetheart, and although it felt a bit weird at first, she eventually grew to love it, and it always made her feel loved. Sam couldn't remember a time when Rebecca had used a term of endearment with her, or even called her Sam. She originally thought that maybe it was just because Rebecca was unsure, and eventually she'd get more comfortable, but it never happened._

_Sam couldn't really blame her, though. She didn't know what to call Rebecca, either. She pretty much tried to avoid having to call her anything for the most part, but when she had to call her something, it was Rebecca. Honestly, she couldn't really fathom calling her 'mom'._

_And just like that Sam knew why she couldn't write anything. Well, if she was being honest with herself, she'd known all along why she hadn't written anything. She knew as soon as Haley assigned the topic that she'd have trouble completing it. For the past three weeks, Sam had been pretending that she was happy, but she wasn't. She was_ fine_, but she wasn't happy. She tried to tell herself that they were the same thing; that she could have a good life living with Rebecca, but she was lying to herself. And she knew the minute she heard the assignment that she'd finally be forced to face the truth about the whole situation._

_She couldn't even write a page on Rebecca, but she could write a whole book about Brooke._

_

* * *

_

_"I'll give you guys the weekend off, since we're starting our short section on poetry next week, but don't get used to it," Haley advised her class, smiling when she was meet with cheers instead of the usual groans she got. She glanced at her watch and saw that the bell was about to ring. "Samantha, I'd like to speak with you before you leave. Everyone else, have a great weekend and be nice to your mothers, please!"_

_Sam gathered her stuff slowly, lingering as the rest of the students filed out of the room, leaving her alone with Haley. She figured that Haley would eventually get sick of being ignored and back her into a corner like this, but the fact that it was happening after she marked her assignment was so predictable. She didn't really mind though, it was a long time coming._

_"To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked sarcastically, turning to face the older woman. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and met Haley's hard gaze. "Sorry. Reflex."_

_Haley dismissed it. "Your paper was amazing, Sam."_

_"Yeah, well." Sam didn't really know what to say to that._

_"You wrote about Brooke," Haley pointed out unnecessarily. Of course, that had been her goal when she devised the whole thing, but there was obviously no guaranteeing that she'd get the result she wanted. She could have easily been reading the whole situation wrong the whole time._

_"That is what you wanted me to do, wasn't it?" Sam wasn't stupid, she could tell that was a plan from the get go. She wasn't mad though. Haley's heart was in the right place, and she couldn't hold it against her. "You knew that I was hiding from my real feelings, and that writing about it would finally make me face them."_

_"I was more like hoping," she timidly answered, feeling a bit guilty for using her authority in the way that she had. "Praying. I was just trying to help, Sam. I love Brooke, and it kills me to see her so heartbroken, but I care about you, too. I wouldn't have given that assignment if I didn't think you were just as unhappy as she is."_

_"It's okay, Haley, I know," Sam assured her. "You don't have a mean or selfish bone in your body. You were just doing what you thought was best."_

_"And was it? For the best?"_

_"I guess so." Sam shrugged and stuck her hands in her coat pockets, not really sure what she was feeling or thinking. "I miss Brooke. So much, you have no idea. She had adoption papers, you know. She asked to adopt me."_

_The look on Haley's face told Sam that she had no idea. "I didn't know that." She moved over and sat down on one of the desk, putting her feet on the chair and facing Sam. "When was this?"_

_"Right before I left," the teen whispered, leaning against her own desk for support. Suddenly Haley understood Sam's actions even more, but felt about ten times worse for Brooke than she already had. "I think it was because I had been hanging out with Rebecca so much, and she didn't want to lose to her."_

_"You know that if Brooke asked to adopt you that she meant it, right? She wasn't just doing it to win some battle with your birth mother."_

_"I know," Sam nodded, her eyes watering a bit, remembering how conflicted and lost she felt that night when Brooke asked her. "But when she asked me, told me she wanted me to be her daughter_ forever_, I just couldn't help but think about my birth mother, who I was just getting to know. I loved Brooke and was so happy there, but I had been waiting my whole life to talk to my birth mother and to know her, and I was just starting to …"_

_"And you had to be sure," Haley finished for her. "Honey, I know why you had to go live with your birth mother. Brooke does, too. She doesn't hold it against you at all. If you didn't go, you'd always wonder, and you'd never be able to be happy with Brooke."_

_"Yeah." Sam sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "So what do I do now?"_

_"What do you want to do?"_

_"I wanna live with Brooke," she immediately answered. She let out a sigh after she said it, feeling like a weight had been lifted now that she finally spoke it out loud._

_Haley beamed at her, ecstatic. "So what's stopping you? Brooke would have you back in a heartbeat, no questions asked."_

_"How am I supposed to tell Rebecca that?"_

_"Speaking as a mother," Haley began, leaning forward on her knees. "She'll understand. Just like Brooke, she'll just want you to be happy. Even if that means losing you." Sam looked doubtful. "Just talk to her, tell her the truth. You being there, and being unhappy isn't good for anyone."_

_"Okay, you're right." They shared a smile and both moved to stand up, knowing that they were done. "Thank you, Haley. For the talk, and for not minding your own business."_

_"Hey!" Haley laughed, playfully smacking the younger girl's shoulder. "I'm the one that got you and Brooke together in the first place. This was so totally my business."_

_"I guess," Sam agreed, pulling her bag over her shoulder and moving towards the door. Before she could leave, though, Haley called out to her again. "Yeah?"_

_"Brooke's coming over to my house for Mother's Day," Haley informed her, and held up a photocopied version of Sam's assignment. "Would you mind if I gave this to her? You said some amazing stuff in here, and I think she should read it."_

_"I don't want you to give it to her," she decided, leaning against the doorframe. Haley looked at her in confusion, but Sam just smiled. "I'll give it to her myself."_

_

* * *

_

_"Whatcha doing?" Rebecca asked, stepping into Sam's room. She hadn't seen the girl at all that night. When she came home from the diner, Sam had been in her room, and she hadn't come out since. After a couple of hours, she had finally decided to go see if she was okay._

_"Just thinking," she answered vaguely, not looking up from the photo in her hand. She was sitting on her bed, knees drawn up, and staring at a picture. It was a familiar position to her, and the irony was not lost on her._

_"About what?" When Sam just shrugged, Rebecca sat down across from her. "What are you looking at?"_

_"Pictures of me and Brooke," the brunette answered bluntly. She'd kept the picture under her pillow and looked at it often in the past month, but she had always hidden it from her birth mother, afraid it would hurt her feelings or cause an argument of some kind. But now, there was no point._

_"Oh yeah?" Rebecca had never met Sam's foster mother, or even seen a picture, but she heard plenty of stories about her. Sam hadn't really talked about her since she moved in, but when they were hanging out before, she'd talk about her all the time. She told her about how they met, how she moved in, everything with X, and everything with Julian. Rebecca didn't know Brooke Davis, but she felt like she did._

_Sam nodded and carefully handed her the picture she had been looking at. It was actually a series of pictures, taken in a mall photo booth. Brooke had taken her on a shopping spree in celebration after she won the school essay contest, and insisted that they get their pictures taken in the booth after she realized that they didn't have any pictures together. _

_Rebecca stared at the pictures, completely shocked to finally put a face to the woman she knew was more of a mother to her daughter than she was. "Wow. She's a_ lot_ younger than I imagined. How old is she?"_

_"Twenty-two."_

_"Wow," Rebecca repeats again. She would have never pictured this woman as the Brooke she heard so much about. Brooke and Sam are making funny faces in most of the pictures, but there's one where they're both smiling nicely at the camera, and Rebecca can see the woman clearly. She can tell right away that Brooke had to have been a cheerleader in high school – she was beautiful. For some reason, she found it hard to believe that this woman was the one that had taken Sam in, and taken such good care of her, even risked her life for her. Perhaps she was being shallow, and basing her assumptions on stereotypes of beautiful young women, but she was very surprised that woman like Brooke would obviously care so deeply for someone like Sam. "She's very pretty."_

_"Yeah," Sam agreed, though she didn't really see Brooke like that anymore. At first, she was a bit intimidated by her, originally thinking along the same lines as Rebecca; imagining what a girl like Brooke must have thought of a girl like Sam, practically homeless and stealing from places. She soon learned not to judge Brooke by her appearance, that she was so much more than a pretty face. "Look, Rebecca …"_

_"You miss her."_

_"I do." Sam could tell that Rebecca knew what was coming. She felt horrible, but at the same time, she was relieved that she wouldn't be blindsiding the woman. She really was nice, and Sam did care for her, but she had to do this. "So much. She wanted to adopt me, and I hope she still does."_

_Rebecca looked down at the pictures in her hands, seeing how happy Sam looked in them. She'd never seen her look that happy before. She didn't mope around the house or anything, but her smile never did quite reach her eyes. "You should go back to her, Samantha. It's where you belong. It always was."_

_Feeling brave, Sam reached forward and hugged Rebecca. It lasted only a few moments before she pulled back and smileed sadly at her. She couldn't believe how easy that was. "Thank you for understanding. I'm sorry for agreeing to come only to change my mind like this."_

_"Please don't be sorry." Rebecca understood why Sam came here, and why she wanted to go back. They'd both been struggling with this for the past fifteen years, both wondering about each other. And now they knew and they could move on. "We had to know. And now we do." Sam nodded, so grateful that she had a birth mother that was so understanding. "Come on, lets spend tonight watching movies and pigging out on junk food, and I'll help you pack up your stuff tomorrow."_

_"You'll help?"_

_"Yeah," she answered, handing her back the picture. "We want to get you back to your mom for Mother's Day."_

**Reviews would be nice!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thanks for all the reviews of last chapter. I know it was all flashbacks and no real Brooke/Sam, but I felt it was needed. This is probably the last chapter, but if I ever feel the need to write a little Brooke/Sam thing, I might just add it onto this, if it can fit into the timeline. **Review, please**!

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Brooke could not stop smiling. No matter how hard she tried to calm down, she just couldn't. Her face was really starting to hurt. She was sure she looked like a crazy person, but she couldn't help it and she didn't care.

Sam was back! She had her daughter back.

Brooke had been dreaming about this day from the moment Sam had left a month ago, but she never thought it would actually come true. She didn't even want to think about how this was possible, she just wanted to thank whoever was responsible for suddenly making her life whole again.

She quickly grabbed the first shirt and pair of jeans she could find, and threw them on. She did her hair and make up in record time before making her way back into the kitchen, moving so fast because she was afraid that Sam would be gone if she took too long or something.

But she wasn't. She was greeted with the same smiling face when she entered the room, and her own smile doubled in size, if that was even possible.

"You're still here," she couldn't help but comment. It wasn't a question though, she just felt the need to state it to remind herself that this wasn't a dream. Sam laughed and nodded her head, kicking out the stool that was across from her on the other side of the table.

"I'm here," the younger girl confirmed, happy to see that her foster mother was so happy to have her back. She had almost forgotten just how hyper and bouncy Brooke could be when she was happy. She shook her head, just now realizing why Haley called her Tigger sometimes.

"And you're not going anywhere, if I have anything to say about it!"

It was Sam's turn to beam, those words filling her with more joy than she ever thought possible. Just five minutes with Brooke made her happier than she'd been in the past month. She didn't even know why she left in the first place. Okay, she did know why, and she might even think that it had been for the best, since she might have never fully been able to appreciate what she had here if she never lost it, but it still seemed silly to her now. As most things did in hindsight.

Brooke grabbed the cordless phone off its base, figuring she'd be getting lots of 'just checking in' calls from her friends that day, before sitting down across from the younger brunette. "So, what did you make me?"

"Same as the last time," Sam answered, picking up her fork and watching Brooke eyeing the food in front of her. "You seemed to like it, and well, it's all I know how to make."

"Well, it looks delicious." Without another word, both girls dug in, enjoying the food, but most of all, each other's company. Just like she thought, Sam's cooking really was great. She even made a mental note to ask Haley to teach Sam how to cook other things, because she would probably be great at it if she tried. As the stray thought left her mind, another one entered. "Oh, crap!"

"What?" Sam immediately asked, cringing and looked imploringly at Brooke's plate. "I left a shell in there, didn't I? I'm so bad at those."

"No, I was supposed to be having breakfast at Haley's right now." Normally she'd feel bad about bailing on her friend, especially when it had been such a nice offer to begin with, but Brooke just found it pretty impossible to feel bad about anything right now. "I guess I could just call her. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear that you're back."

Sam smirked at her words, waiting until she was finished chewing to break the news to Brooke, who was already reaching for the phone. She felt bad for bursting her bubble, seeing how excited she was about getting to share her good news. "Yeah, she already knows."

"What?" Brooke stopped dialing and narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "How does Haley already know you're back home?"

Getting back to her eating, and motioning for Brooke to do the same, Sam told her what happened. "She's pretty much the reason I'm here." Brooke arched her eyebrows in question, but didn't say anything as she continued to eat. "You know how she does those weekly assignments? Well, on Monday she told us that we had to write about our mothers, in honor of Mother's Day. She said it was because she didn't have time to think of anything that weekend, and she thought it made sense, but she was totally just doing it for me."

Brooke immediately felt a tug at her heart, knowing Haley had been responsible for Sam sitting there with her. Not only had her friend given her, her daughter in the first place, but she had gotten her back for her, too. Man, did she owe Haley a huge present on her next birthday.

"So that's why you came back?"

"I wasn't happy there from the start," Sam admitted, putting her fork down and giving Brooke and the conversation her full attention. "Haley's assignment just made me admit it. Rebecca was nice, she was. Easily better than the foster parents I've lived with before, and the house was really nice, too." For some reason, she found it hard to hold Brooke's gaze as she talked about her stay with her birth mother. She almost felt like anything even remotely positive she said about the woman or her time spent with her was betraying Brooke. "But it just wasn't my home, you know?" When she looked back up and was met with nothing but a comforting smile, she finished shyly. "And well, she wasn't my mom."

The tugging at Brooke's heart from before stopped, as it practically burst right out of her chest with love. "God, sweetheart, you are too far away from me right now." Jumping up from her seat, Brooke moved around the table to bring Sam to her feet, only to crush her in their second huge bear hug of the morning.

Normally Sam would be mortified at this display of affection from her mother, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't need this hug just as much as Brooke did. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms tightly around the taller girl's waist and relaxed in her arms. If she had any doubt that coming back was the right choice, and she didn't, how comfortable and safe she felt in Brooke's arms would have erased it all.

"You have no idea how much I love you, kiddo," Brooke told her, kissing her on the top of the head and squeezing her even tighter. "No idea."

"I love you, too," Sam mumbled against her shoulder. Her whole life, Sam had only ever said those words twice, and both times she had said them to Brooke. With one last squeeze, Brooke figured it was time to let the girl breathe, and she pulled back, only to drag her over to the couch in the living room. "But breakfast …"

"I'm too excited to eat." Without giving her more time to protest, Brooke pushed Sam down on the couch and sat down beside her, immediately pulling her into a sideways hug. Sam just laughed and went with it. She'd never met anyone else who loved to hug as much as Brooke did, but she was kind of used to it now. And not that she'd _ever_ admit it, but she had also _kind of_ missed it.

They just sat in silence for a few minutes, both girls knowing they didn't have to say anything. Sam took the opportunity to look around the room, noting that nothing had really changed. Though she had noticed before that the pictures of Angie and the others from high school that were on the fridge had pretty much all been replaced with pictures of her and Brooke, her and Haley, her and Jamie, and even the one Mia took at Peyton's baby shower.

Before she could look around anymore, she finally felt Brooke's eyes on her. She turned towards her and was met with the most loving look she could ever remember receiving. She suddenly felt shy in front of the woman, not sure why Brooke was looking at her like that. "What?"

Without warning, Brooke felt her eyes start to water and her throat start to close up. All she could do was shake her head and smile at Sam, letting her know it was nothing bad. She swept the bangs off of Sam's forehead and placed a long kiss on it, closing her eyes to keep the tears a bay.

Sam was really starting to worry about Brooke. She figured she'd be happy to have her back, but she had no idea she'd get this emotional about it. As loved as she felt because of it, she also felt even more guilty for abandoning her like she had.

"Brooke," she whispered, pulling away from her foster mother. She started to tear up herself when she met her gaze. "I'm so sorry that I left. I know that you weren't mad, and that you said you understood, and that Haley told me that it was the right thing, and I know it probably was, but I'm just so sorry that it happened the way it did. If I made you think that I was choosing her over you, because I promise that I wasn't."

"Oh, baby, I know," Brooke assured her. She reached for Sam's hands and held them between her own. "You don't have to apologize for anything, sweetheart. You did what you had to do, what anyone would have done. What _I _would have done. Please don't feel bad about that, okay? I just really missed you is all."

"I missed you, too." It would probably take a while before Sam would stop feeling bad about what happened, but she could tell that Brooke meant and believed what she was saying, and that was enough for her, for now. "So, um, do you want your gift now?"

"_Gift_?" Brooke repeated, taken aback. "I thought you were the gift!"

"A gift you'll want to return in a few weeks, when the new found novelty has worn off and I go back to annoying you," Sam joked, moving out of Brooke's arms to stand up and get her bag.

"Samantha Walker annoy me? Never!"

"Yeah, yeah," she laughed. She pulled out her notebook and flipped to the page she was looking for. She had the typed out version with her too, but it was marked up from Haley, and she figured her hand written one might mean more for some reason. She stood in front of Brooke and nervously shuffled her feet. "Um, I thought you might want to read what I wrote."

"Wrote?"

"About you," she clarified, stepping back towards the couch to sit back down. "Haley's assignment. Everyone else was giving it to their moms for Mother's Day, and I figured if all the cool kids were doing it …"

"You're gonna let me read that?" Sam's notebook had been totally off limits before, and the only thing Brooke had ever been allowed to read of her's had been her contest winning essay, and that had been hard enough for Sam. While she enjoyed writing, and she didn't care about other people reading her work, she was always shy about people close to her reading it. The only stuff she would show Haley was the stuff she had to write for school. She had let Julian read some of her fictional stuff, but that was it. Anything in the book she was holding was extremely personal to her.

"This page, yeah," she said, handing over the worn out book. Brooke took a hold of it, but Sam didn't let go quite yet. "Just don't get used to it. Oh, and you cannot, in any way, hold what it says over my head in the future to embarrass or blackmail me, got it?"

"Like I would ever do that," Brooke replied with a smirk, but nodded in agreement. Even though Sam knew she was more than likely lying, like any true mother would do, she let go of the book. Knowing how hard that was for her, Brooke reached forward and brushed her thumb across Sam's cheek quickly to let her know it would be okay. When she could that Sam was okay with it, she turned her full attention to the words in front of her.

_Brooke Davis is a good person, a cool designer and a kickass mom. I said that exact thing to her once, when I was trying to convince her not to give up the guy she loved for me. What I learned that night was that Brooke Davis was also a very stubborn person, because she didn't listen to me. Instead, she chose to give up the guy and stay in this crappy town so I could have a stable home._

_Growing up, I never lived in the same foster home for more than a few months because nobody could stand me for that long. I always heard stories about kids like me hitting the jackpot with foster parents, but by a certain age, I stopped believing they were true, and if they were, it would never happen to me. Then I met Brooke. We met at one of the lower points in my life, but she somehow gave me a chance anyway. She asked me to move in with her and I thought she was just some crazy lady getting in over her head. I tried all of my usual tricks to see how far I could push her, but no matter what I did, she wouldn't give up on me. Eventually I realized that she was the real deal, and I had finally hit my jackpot, and if I didn't smarten up, I was going to blow it. So I did, I smartened up and tried to be the kid that she deserved to have. I followed her rules, I worked hard in school, and I opened up to her._

_Brooke Davis is the first person that has never let me down, not once. She helped me and she cared for me and she disciplined me and she literally risked her life for me. And I took her for granted. I left her to live with the woman who gave me away, thinking that she was my _real_ mother, but she wasn't. If she was, I would have been able to write this paper on her, but I don't think there's much eloquence in the word 'nice'. A mother isn't 'nice.' A mother is loving and proud; she's brave, she's giving, she's selfless and caring. She's patient and thoughtful and nurturing and an endless list of other positive adjectives. If that's not Brooke Davis in a nutshell, I don't know what is. _

_Most kids have known their mothers for their whole lives, but in a way, I have too. I like to think of my life as Samantha Walker as a bad prelude to my real life; my life as Samantha Davis, daughter of Brooke Penelope Davis. My happy ending _and_ my happy beginning__._

Sam watched Brooke read her paper, and found it to be totally awkward and just wished that Brooke would say _something_. Brooke's eyes finally made it to the end of the page, and she held her breath.

"Sammy…" That was a new one, Sam thought, almost smiling at the nickname. A few people had called her that before, Julian for example, but it was a first for Brooke. She figured that was a good thing. "I don't know what to say."

"It was a really cheesy, I know, but you know Haley, she just eats that stuff right up," Sam rushed to explain. While it was true, she might have padded it with some extra cheese to get some much needed bonus points with her young teacher, it didn't make the sentiment behind the words any less true. "But, I mean, actual quality of the writing aside, I meant what I said."

"Come here, you." Brooke really couldn't find anything else to say, so she just settled for hugging her again. She had never been more touched in her entire life, and there were just no words she could think of to convey that to Sam. That was _so_ going on the fridge. "So you still want to be a Davis?"

"If you'll have me." Nothing would make her happier than to have Brooke adopt her, but she'd never dream of bringing it up or asking Brooke about it, not after how she reacted last time. Ending the hug, Sam pulled away and looked Brooke right in the eyes so she'd know how sincere she was. "I've never wanted anything more in my life."

"Well, like I said, you'll always be a Davis to me," Brooke reminded her with a wink, bringing her sleeved hand up to wipe some of the tears off Sam's cheeks. "But I think it's time we make it official, don't you?"

"Hell yeah!"

Brooke laughed and ruffled her daughter's hair. "I'll call my lawyer first thing tomorrow morning, then." She wasn't sure just how easy it was all going to be, but she knew she would stop at nothing to make Sam her daughter in the eyes of the law, so she wasn't too worried about it. She was about to continue when there was a knock at the door. "Why don't you bring your stuff into your room while I get that?"

Sam agreed without a word, and picked up her bags and moving towards her room, which she found was exactly as she had left it. Brooke waited until the teen was gone before she opened the door to find Haley standing on the other side with an anxious look on her face.

"So, how did things …" Haley didn't get a chance to finish her question before she was wrapped up in Brooke's arms and practically lifted off the ground. She was confused for a moment until she saw Sam poke her head around the corner to see who was at the door, and she realized that it was a hug of gratitude. They shared a smile and Sam decided to give them a minute alone. "Tigger, I can't breathe."

"I don't care," Brooke told her, holding her for a moment more before releasing her and placing her back on the ground. Brooke just looked at Haley, her eyes conveying everything that she wanted to say to her. "Hales … You have no idea how much … I just … _Thank you_. I don't even know where to start."

"It's okay, Brooke, I know," the shorter girl promised her, smiling warmly at her friend and rubbing her arm. "And you're welcome."

Brooke wanted to say so much more to her, but for the second time that morning, she was speechless, and she found that it was impossible to come up with the words for how grateful she was to Haley. She didn't think she could _ever_ repay Haley for this, but God, she was going to try.

"Well, don't be rude, invite her in," Sam interrupted them, walking into the kitchen. "She might want some of my delicious cold pancakes!" The women laughed, and Brooke ushered Haley inside. The three of them spent the rest of the day just hanging out, catching up, and even watching a couple of movies. When it was getting late, Haley called Nathan and had him drive over to pick her up, so Jamie could see Sam, knowing he'd be ecstatic that she was back.

Once the Scotts had left, the Davis girls cleaned up the mess they had made and started getting ready for bed. After they got changed, they both ended up in Sam's room, lying under the covers and staring at the ceiling. Brooke said that she just wanted to spend Sam's first night back with her, but she knew it was because Brooke was still scared that she'd disappear somehow. But it didn't matter to Sam, she was more than happy to have their own little slumber party.

"Hey, Brooke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad I'm home."

Brooke tore her gaze from the ceiling and turned her head to look at the girl lying beside her. "Me too, honey."

"How am I gonna top this next Mother's Day?" Sam mused, lightening the moment.

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Maybe I'll find you another kid to adopt."

"Ahh, I think I'll have my hands full with you for awhile. I don't think I want anymore kids until I'm married."

"Speaking of marriage, when are you gonna crawl back to Julian and beg for forgiveness?"

"Okay, I think it's time for bed now."

"It's only, like, ten o'clock."

"It's been a long day," Brooke countered, turning over so her back was now facing Sam.

"Not really, we just sat around and talked."

"Well, I'm tired."

"Oh, come on, you know you totally blew it with Julian."

"I'm not talking about this right now."

"How come I don't have a daddy?"

"Goodnight, Samantha!"

"Jeez," Sam laughed, knowing that tone well. Deciding she better not push her luck on the first night, she relented, and remained quiet. She laid there for a few more minutes, just looking up and going over the day's events in her head, thinking Brooke was asleep.

"Hey," Brooke whispered, turning over slightly so she could make sure Sam had heard her and she wasn't asleep. The younger girl looked over. "I love you, kiddo."

"I love you, too, _mom_," Sam replied, trying it out. She closed her eyes and curled her lip a bit. "Yeah, no, that's gonna take some getting used to."

"Definitely." They shared a laugh and Brooke rolled over to place one last kiss on her daughter's temple. "Now go to sleep. And you better not snore."

"Samantha Davis does not snore!" Both girls simply smiled at the name, but kept quiet. Nothing else needed to be said.

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**Alright, all done. Any good? Let me know! And I hated Sam's paper, but I figured it had to be in there, so I tried. Blah.**


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